Lower Macungie TIF approval will reduce East Penn tax increase

He said that includes elimination of 4.5 teaching positions –two in the high school and two in elementary schools -- and two administrative positions through attrition.

He said most central office departments cut their budgets by 5 percent compared to their 2013-14 budgets.

The 2015-16 budget will be the seventh and final one done by Seidenberger since he became East Penn’s superintendent. He said it is the product of a team effort, adding “the staff has the interests of the students at heart.”

Seidenberger repeatedly told the school board that working on the budget made him a cranky old man for the last six weeks.

“I am upset and angry,” declared the superintendent.

“What angers me the most is when I see advertisements that cyber charter schools and charter schools are free. They are not free. In this budget before you, there is approximately $3.9 million allocated to charter and cyber charter school tuition for next year.

“That’s an increase of over $300,000.”

He said charter schools are the single biggest expense faced by the district after pensions, salaries and benefits.

Seidenberger said he could bring every single student being educated in a cyber or brick-and-mortar charter school back into the East Penn District for about $500,000 in new staff.

He said that would leave $3.4 million. “We’d have no tax increase this year and about $330,000 left over.”

Academically, said Seidenberger, public schools are outperforming charter and cyber charter schools.

“It’s led to a parallel school system in Pennsylvania,” complained Seidenberg. “They’re treated one way with one set of rules and public schools are treated another way.”

Copyright 2014 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.